Category Archives: Home

Nexia Home Intelligence – Automating Your Home

CES 2012, Home

Nexia Home IntelligenceIf you’re a regular to F5 Live, or you have gone snooping around your local RadioShack in the past year or so, you have probably encountered the Schlage Link line of home automation products. With things like door locks and cameras, all accessible from the Internet, it was a useful set of products. No more leaving a key under the mat, just unlock the door from your phone when the repair guy gets to the house.

Well, Schlage has decided to up the ante and expand the product line, renaming it Nexia Home Intelligence and bringing on companies like Pella and Trane to bring new features to the set, like window shades that can automatically open/close on a timer or from the web, or an air conditioner that can be remotely controlled, all through the Nexia website.

We have a hands-on demo of the website, showing off the Pella window shades, remote-controlled cameras and more below.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Cambridge Audio – Analog for a Digital World

CES 2012, Home

Cambridge AudioIf you’re not into professional audio, you may not be familiar with Cambridge Audio, but for those of us who are familiar with Cambridge Audio, this year’s announcements were very exciting. From a compact digital to analog converter (DAC) that would have made our lives at CES much easier this year to a full home theater receiver with network streaming, Internet radio and, of course, a built-in DAC, Cambridge certainly came full-force to the convention.

We got to see the upgrade to their DacMagic product, the DacMagic Plus, a simple way to convert almost any source, digital or analog, to full 24-bit/384kHz audio through up-sampling. In addition, it has ground-fault noise reduction, meaning no more humming because of the things that are plugged in around it. We’ve all experienced plugging our computer into a stereo system or mixer and there is a constant hum on the speakers – not with this bad boy. All of this is housed in a box about the size of an average digital camcorder. This is a must-have for anyone running a recording studio or even a podcast/online radio/TV show.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

HomeGrid Forum – Any Wire, Anywhere

CES 2012, Home

Home Grid ForumMy interview with John Egan, who was representing the HomeGrid Forum shed some light on what’s up and coming for G.hn technology. Just in case you’re wondering what that is, G.hn is a home networking technology that uses existing (legacy) wiring in the house to transmit data with bandwidth of up to 1 gigabit per second, hence the tag line, “Any wire, anywhere.” Some of the heavy hitters that participate in the HomeGrid Forum such as AT&T, British Telecom, Best Buy and Marvell Semiconductor understand there is good reason for adherence to this standard as it benefits both consumers and service providers. The consumer is afforded a choice in service provider and the service provider themselves have assurance that all their existing and potential customers have the opportunity to take advantage of the service provider’s technology. Simply put, the standard uses rules and guidelines that helps prevent fragmentation of the market. When these products hit the market be sure to look for the HomeGrid Forum logo which reassures interoperability in your house.

A definite plus with G.hn technology is that so long as the house has electrical outlets it can be taken advantage of. If you’re reading this and you live in a mansion the question of range could come in to play but through the use of nodes, that act as repeaters, the data can travel long distances without any signal loss. Based on some estimates from service companies, not having to run any new wiring saves 4 man hours of installation time plus materials. This help make the use of G.hn technology easy, efficient and cost effective. More good news is that consumers can also expect prices for new technology to be comparable to the old technology that is currently in use.

Interview by Jon Wurm of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Savvy: Cure for the Shopping Hangover

CES 2012, Home, ,

Simple. Effective.

You take a picture of your receipt, and if that item goes on sale you get an alert – so you can claim the better price with the retailer.

In 2010, over $20 Billion in price adjustments were left unclaimed – and retailers everywhere thank you for your inattention.  Savvy (an app for iPhone or Android) gives you a way to recover money on your purchases, by letting you know that a price change has occurred and allowing you to claim that better price.  Over 200 retailers are in the program.

Interview by Courtney Wallin of SDRNews for the TechPodcast Network.

 

 

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Wi-Ex zBoost Signal Boosters for Cell Phones

CES 2012, Home,

zBoost by Wi-Ex logo

zBoost by Wi-Ex is a range of signal extenders that will improve cell and mobile phone coverage in weak areas. Todd and Don discuss zBoost’s latest products from Sharon Cuppett, VP of Wi-Ex (and they get a mention on Wi-Ex’s blog)

Wi-Ex launched two new products at CES, the first being the zBoost 4G-V, a signal booster for 4G frequencies on Verizon, the largest mobile carrier with over 100 million subscribers. A whole 4G product line is under development, including dual- and tri-band boosters. Available in Q2 2012 for around $220.

The second is an in-car booster, the zBoost zForce, which comprises a cradle for the phone and a magnetised antenna for the outside of the vehicle. Powered from the cigarette adaptor, the zForce can boost coverage by about 10x, eliminating dead spots and increasing range in rural areas. Retailing at only $99, it will be available shortly.

(You’ll have to watch the Blue Microphone interview to realise this, but in this video Sharon borrows Don’s phone to demonstrate the zForce and then walks off with the phone at the end of the interview!)

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor, for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

UPnP Forum:Technology Standards for Universal Plug and Play

CES 2012, Home, , ,

How to get them all to play together ?

Home automation, entertainment, mobile devices, routers, cable modems, security, and a whole range of devices are a part of the connected modern home.  That’s the mission of the Universal Plug and Play Forum. It assumes IP networking, and then gets them all working together. A lot of it is behind the scenes, without the user being aware of any specific app, insuring that devices interoperate. Over a thousand companies are part of the consortium. A number of other organizations (Suchas DNLA) or devices or apps such as Skype, X-Box or Playstation transparently opening correct ports and authorizing activities within your home network.

 

Interview by Andy McCaskey and Courtney Wallin of SDRNews for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Netgear: How Many Devices Are on Your Router?

CES 2012, Home, , , , ,

Double the Count in One Year

Connected devices – tablets, streaming video, smartphones,thermostats – are growing rapidly, with the average home deploying over seven devices on a home router – almost doubling over the past year. Netgear announced eight new products, optimized to serve all of these devices. Products such as the Netgear N-900 Router give better range, and the ability to give priority to certain types of traffic, such as gaming or VoIP.

In the interview, we also discuss PowerLine Carrier as an alternative in the home. Netgear just announced a 500Mb/sec version, with a 1Gb system on the roadmap.

Interview by Andy McCaskey and Courtney Wallin of SDRNews for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Kidz Gear Volume Limiting Headphones

CES 2012, Home, ,

Volume Limiting Headphones

CES regular Jack Peterson talks with Todd and Don on the latest headphones for children from Kidz Gear.

Kidz Gear produces headphones with smaller headbands and ear cups to fit the smaller heads of children. This year they’ve brought to the market new wired headphones that have a built-in volume limiter that prevents children’s hearing becoming damaged through excessive sound levels. The headphones reduce the maximum sound level by about 20% into the 80-95 decibel range.

The new headphones are compatible with the iPad, iPhone and iPod ranges and include an inline remote and mic control. They’re available from the Apple Store or direct from Kidz Gear for $29.99.

An additional new product in the same vein is a volume limit cable which can be added to already-purchased headphones to make them safer for children. Priced at only $9.99, there’s currently a special price of $5.99 showing on-line.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

LG Styler Overview

CES 2012, Home,

LG Styler If you are a businessman or women you know how important it is to have your cloths wrinkle free and smelling fresh. You also know how expensive dry cleaning can get. LG may have an answer for you, the LG Styler. The LG Styler is about the size of a storage wardrobe. The cloths hang from a rack and steam is used to gently remove wrinkles and odors. There are no harsh chemicals involved. It takes about thirty-nine minutes to steam and dry a shirt.

Right now the LG Styler is only available in S. Korea and Japan, but they hope to have it available in the U.S for around $2,000 by the end of the year. At this point LG is looking at selling the Styler not only to individuals, but also to high end hotels and other companies that cater to the business travellers. Wouldn’t it be nice to get to a hotel room, unpack and place your shirts in the LG Styler and then in less then 40 minutes you are ready to go. Your cloths smell fresh and are wrinkle free. The LG Styler isn’t supposed to replace dry cleaning, but it might keep your cloths ready to wear between dry cleanings.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Trikke A Fun (Electric) Ride

CES 2012, Home, ,

Trikke If you live in the city or suburbs and are looking for a vehicle that you could ride to work and have fun doing it, then you may want to take a look at the Trikke. As the word indicates the Trikke is a three-wheeled electric vehicle. Because it has three wheels it is very stable and easy to ride. You simply turn the throttle and go. You can lean into the curves and the wheels never leave the ground. It folds up so you can easily fit it in the back of a car or carry it into the office. A Trikke weights between 35 and 48 pounds (with battery) depending on the model, so you are probably not going to want to carry it far. You can plug it into any outlet to recharge it. A battery takes about three hours to fully recharge. On a fully charged battery a Trikke will go from 10 to 24 miles depending on model and weight of the rider. You can reach speeds up to 17 miles per hour.

Trikkes are available in different colors and models and the prices range from $1300 to $2200 depending on the model. If you are a skier a Trikke would be a great way to keep in shape for the skiing season. You use the same muscle and movements on a Trikke that you do for skiing and it is low impact. Easier to ride than a bike and a lot better on the bottom.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More